For many travelers, part of the joy of going on trips is getting to taste uniquely delicious food from the many places one visits. In the Philippines, particularly, there are many gustatory delights that await the adventurous foodie.

Fortunately, traveling throughout the country to sample various treats is no longer an expensive dream, thanks to the more affordable travel options provided by low-cost carriers like Cebu Pacific (CEB). The country’s leading airline and Asia’s third largest low-cost carrier, CEB offers more opportunities for travelers to explore the country’s culture through its diverse cuisine.

True Pinoy-style pasta
After indulging in the visual delight that is the Mayon Volcano, eating in Bicol, particularly in Legazpi, is guaranteed to be gastronomically unforgettable.

A well-known dish in the area is the savoury pinangat, gabi or taro leaves stuffed with shrimp or fish then cooked in gata (coconut milk) and spices. The combination is classic, but count on food-loving Bicolanos to come up with a new must-try, pinangat pasta.

Serving this is Small Talk Café at #51 Doña Aurora Street in Legazpi. The quaint establishment’s fusion food menu is topped by the popular dish that merges all the goodness of pinangat with the creaminess of pasta alfredo. The rich combination of salty and spicy flavors, with the soothing texture of cream, is a never-fail hit. The café also serves authentic adobong puti or adobo with gata.

Small Talk Café’s popular Pasta Pinangat dish is just one of the many gustatory attractions of Legazpi, Albay in Bicol.

Dessert-wise, Legazpi doesn’t fall short either. Head over to Colonial Grill on Albay Street for some unique ice cream variants such as the sili ice cream, malunggay ice cream and kalamansi ice cream.

Cebu Pacific flies to Legazpi thrice daily from Manila and thrice weekly from Cebu.

Sweet Visayan treats
With the increasing Cebu Pacific flights and frequencies to the Visayas, more travelers can now enjoy the many culinary charms of the region. Apart from classics like inasal and humba, the area offers sweet treats that are rich in taste but not high in price.

Kalamansi Muffins (photo courtesy of Melo Villareal)

In Dumaguete and nearby Tagbilaran (Bohol) is a type of suman called budbod-kabog. Made of millet or birdseed, coconut milk and sugar, its taste has been described as subtle yet delicious, but it’s the texture that has earned this snack a lot of serious fans. Smooth and refined, every bite is said to melt in your mouth.

Beachgoers in Boracay may notice a tantalizing scent of citrus and butter in between stations one and two in the mornings. That would be the fault of Real Coffee, a homey establishment that boasts of what many call the second-best thing (aside from a tan) to take home from Boracay—the kalamansi muffins. Tangy, sweet and baked to moist perfection, each bite is pastry heaven.

Another popular foodie destination in the region is Iloilo. Located in Iloilo’s central night spot Smallville is Freska, a Filipino restaurant that boasts of butterscotch gelato served in a buko and with barquillos. If seafood and grilled food is on your main menu, there’s no better place for it than at seaside restaurants, the most highly recommended of which is Tatoy’s Manukan in Villa Arevalo. Among its house specialties are its lechon manok marinated in a secret sauce, chicken inasal, grilled seafood and pork dishes.

Want to take a trip to enjoy these yummy snacks and experience Visayan culture? Cebu Pacific flies to Dumaguete twice daily, to Tagbilaran twice daily, to Kalibo 58 times weekly, and to Iloilo six times daily.

What’s delectable in Davao?
Of course, Davao is synonymous to the polarizing taste and scent of durian. Travelers often joke that they know they’ve landed in the province because they can smell its pungent scent in the air. It’s no surprise because Davaoeños seem to flavor everything with durian, including pie and, yes, even their cappuccino.

On Iñigo Street is a family-owned shop that sells durian pie. To convince people of the fruit’s “heavenly” taste, the creators made this dessert with less of the smell, resulting in a creamy durian filling in a delicious crust.

For coffee with a true kick, namely durian-flavored cappuccino, there’s the Gatchpuccino from Blugre Coffee. For a taste of this unique concoction, visit its various branches like the one in Matina Town Square.

Flying to Davao to try these delicacies is easy and affordable with Cebu Pacific flights 40 times weekly.

Already strapped to your Cebu Pacific seat and waiting to land in your getaway? Pass the time by daydreaming about these little known delicacies you can soon enjoy.

This year, to beat the summer heat, San Miguel Pale Pilsen will bring foam parties to the hottest party spots all over the country, kicking off in five key areas on March 5 and 6.

The first 2 foam parties happen on March 5 at the Greenfield District, Central Park in Mandaluyong and Paseo De Sta. Rosa, Greenfield City to signal the start of these wet and wild series of parties. The next day, March 6, the party moves on to Plazuela in Tarlac City; MEPZ in Cebu; and Rodelsa Circle in CDO.

Bands such as Parokya ni Edgar, Sugarfree, Cueshe, Brown Man Revival, 360 and Rocksteddy are slated to perform. Spicing up the festivities are activities such as the Wet and Wild Bikini Babe Ledge Dances. Enjoy blasting away with a foam gun at the Foam Shots area. Flaunt your basketball skills at the Hoopla booth and win San Miguel Pale Pilsen limited edition items. There’s also a photo booth where you can go crazy posiNG with your barkada.

Speaking of prizes, there will be raffles where you can bring home exciting prizes. San Miguel also has a crown collection promo that will run from March 15 to May 15. Collect your crowns and exchange them for limited edition premium items such as t-shirts and the San Miguel Keep It Cold Beer Mug.

Don’t miss all the happenings in the San Miguel Pale Pilsen 2010 Sarap Magbabad Foam Parties. LET’S GET SOAKING WET!!!

Visit www.sanmiguelpalepilsen.com.ph for more information.

Roses are red. Violets are blue. But they’re deeply unoriginal, and costly, too.

So instead, why not spread the sweetness of the season by indulging in a love triangle—all you have to do is log on to www.toblerone.com.ph for great ideas on how to celebrate Valentines Day in sweeter and more original ways.

Digital Love

Log on to www.toblerone.com.ph and check out the Toblerone Fanpage where a community of like-minded, chocolate lovers await. This interactive site invites users to share their thoughts on different V-day traditions and gift ideas making it easier for singles and couples to share the sweetness of February.

Ask and You Shall Receive

Nix the roses and go for the tried and tested: chocolates. Online, you can check out Toblerone’s gift giving application, which allows you to send virtual sweet treats to friends and loved ones this Valentine’s Day.

Mix and Match

Play a little game of Cupid this season by trying out Toblerone’s matchmaking application. This fun, online application lets you mix and match buddies online to check their compatibility and romantic potential.

Be Mine

There’s no denying that love is in the air—and clearly it’s on store shelves too. Spread the sweetness literally and figuratively and grab a limited edition Valentine’s Day Toblerone.

Whether you’re basking in unbridled romance or unbridled panic—Toblerone has got you covered. Be sure to log on to www.toblerone.com.ph and discover new ways to spread the sweetness on Valentine’s Day.

Buro is readily available in markets and supermarkets. But if you want a fix, and it isn’t available to you, fret not! Buro is actually very simple to make.

Here is my mom’s recipe. She learned how to make buro from her grandmother when she was just a little girl.

This recipe uses fish, but can be substituted with shrimps.

Burong Isda

Ingredients:

1 kilo dalag or tilapia, cleaned and washed
6 cups cooked white rice, cooled
4-5 tablespoons rock salt

Materials:

Sterilized jars with caps or
Plastic container with lid
Plastic wrap

Prepare the fish. After washing and cleaning, cut and slice fish. Rub with salt and set aside.

Prepare the rice. The rice must be well cooked– it should be very soft and cool by the time you start to mix. Add in the rest of the salt and mix thoroughly. Add the the fish and mix.

Transfer to sterilized jars or plastic containers. Pack tightly, leaving a bit of room at the top. Cover top with plastic wrap and cover the jar with lid. Screw the lid tightly and store in the vegetable compartment of your fridge. Allow to ferment for about two weeks before using.

How to cook:

Sautee’ in hot oil with minced garlic and onions, and chopped tomatoes if you like (remove the seeds). Add a little sugar to counterbalance the slightly sourness and saltiness of the buro. Allow to cool a little before serving. Serve as a siding to fried or grilled fish; fried or steamed eggplant; steamed okra and ampalaya (bitter gourd), or with fresh mustasa (mustard greens).

Butter cream + Humidity = Disaster

Case in point:

I do have my doubts though, as I think I may have contributed something that made things go wrong. I may have used a little less shortening and more butter; or a little less sugar when I made the icing. Either way, I think it wasn’t stable enough. In the end, though, I don’t think any butter cream icing would have endured that heat.

Lesson learned? Stick it in the fridge until it’s needed.

2009 was a busy year for comic book enthusiasts and toy collectors. as events targeted towards them were spread throughout the past year. The 4th Annual Toys and Collectibles Christmas Fair was the last fair/convention of the past year that I went to.

The Annual Toys and Collectibles Christmas Fair, which marked it’s fourth year, was held last December at SM Megamall and ran from the 16th to the 22nd. I was happy to learn that the entrance fee was more inexpensive than the previous conventions– Php 30 pesos as opposed to Php 100 pesos.

I only went twice– first on the first day and then on the 20th, when they held a cosplay fashion show. I didn’t get to take photos of the cosplay fashion show because I had….technical difficulties… with my camera. I blame Mercury in retrograde. Rain and Jay though, my companions at the cosplay show, were able to take some snap shots.

I have to say though that I was a bit disappointed because there wasn’t much to see— the convention only occupied a small area, and there wasn’t as much merchandise as I expected. Maybe I expected it to be on a grander scale, which probably made for the minor feeling of disappointment. But that all changed, of course, when I saw the boxes of comic books!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the only reason I wanted to go to this convention was to buy comic books. And buy comics I did! Armed with my little list of titles I was looking for, I raided those boxes like crazy! I rummaged through boxes and stacks just to find what I was looking for. All the comics being sold at the fair were back issues, with some dating to 2008 and as far back to the 70’s. Prices ranged between Php 20 pesos up to thousands– some were sets, while some were single issues.

Ofcourse the first boxes I rummaged through were the discount bins, which contained the 20 and 50-peso books. That was where I picked up some of my purchases. There was another stall there that sold comics for Php 25 pesos. That was where I got some of my comics like Storm #1.

Out of the comic books I picked up, only 2 were on my list: Ororo #4 and Uncanny X-men # 321. I picked up issue #1 of Ororo at a Php 20-peso bin at a comic book shop. If it’s isn’t evident by now–yes I love going through sale bins. But that’s a different post altogether.

Uncanny X-men #321 is the third installment to the 4-part X-over “Legion Quest”. I already have parts one and two, so gettign that third one makes me one issue short of a complete story. I got it for Php 50 pesos from Chubi Del Rosario’s booth. Remember him? Late 90’s-early 2000’s teeny bopper actor who used to be anne curtis’s love team partner? yeah him. Thank you, Chubi!

I also picked some new titles like issue #2 of the House of M miniseries, which I’ve always wanted to read ever since I got back into comic books; Hellions, another 4-part miniseries; an issue of Dazzler with a painted cover.I remember having this particular issue in the past, something I found (surprise, surprise) in a sale bin in an old, decrepit comic book store in Virra Mall when I was a kid. I also picked up issue #3 of Phoenix: Warsong as well as a cloak and Dagger #1, a New Mutants special, and a Preview Comic by Virgin Comics.

Over all, while I may have had a disappointment or two, it still turned out okay. Here’s hoping that the next one would be a bigger and better one.

Chocolate Crinkles

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (56 grams) unsalted butter
8 ounces (225 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped ( I used Ricoa’s baking chocolate)
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee powder

Topping:

1 cup (110 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted

Melt chocolate in a glass bowl on a double boiler. Once melted set aside and allow to cool slightly. In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. Mix in vanilla extract and instant coffee, then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls (3-4 hours or overnight).

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside.

Place the confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. With lightly greased hands, roll a small amount of chilled dough to form a 1 inch (2.54 cm) diameter ball. Place the ball of dough into the confectioners sugar and roll the ball in the sugar until it is completely coated and no chocolate shows through. Gently lift the sugar-covered ball, tapping off excess sugar, and place on prepared baking sheet. Continue forming cookies, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on baking sheets. (If you find the dough getting too soft for rolling into balls, return to the refrigerator and let chill until firm.)

Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm but the centers are still soft. (For moist chewy cookies do not over bake. Over baking these cookies will cause them to be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

These cookies are best eaten the day they are baked.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

TIP: If you can’t find unsweetened baking chocolate, you can substitute 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder + 1 tablespoon of oil for 1 ounce (1 block) of unsweetened chocolate.

It’s that time of the year again! With Christmas just around the corner, everyone is in a mad rush to get their holiday shopping done. If you are looking for that perfect present for a toy collector, or maybe just for yourself, then go check out the 4th Annual Toys and Collectibles Christmas Fair at SM Megatrade Hall in SM Mega Mall. There you’ll find the best bargains on toys, comics and other collectibles. I am so excited to go! Mostly, I’ll be going for the comics– these conventions have a lot of them down at bargain prices. But who knows? I might fnally find that Altaire figure on sale.

There will be a live toy auction, where one can bid for much sought items at prices way lower than their actual value. Another highlight is the cosplay runway show which will be held on the 20th at 4 p.m.

The 4th Annual Toys and Collectibles Christmas Fair is brought to us by Collectibles Unlimited in partnership with SM Megatrade Hall.

4th Annual Toys and Collectibles Christmas Fair 2009
Dec 16 to 22, 2009
10: 00 amto 10:00 pm
SM Megatrade Hall 3,
SM Megamall

http://toyconph.com

Trinoma witnessed the unveiling of the newest and coolest cough relief in town – Solmux Chewtab! Last December 4, 2009, over a hundred mall-goers danced to instacool songs as they opened a giant box to reveal the latest innovation from Solmux. The event was even more festive as snow fell on those who passed by the area. Truly, it was an instacool experience similar to the relief given by Solmux Chewtab!

The new Solmux Chewtab is the first chewable cough remedy available in the market. It is specifically designed for people on the go. Unlike other cough products, it provides instacool relief that you can immediately feel. It has a citrus flavor with a cool menthol twist. Being chewable makes it handy and convenient; you don’t need to take water! And since it’s from the no. 1 cough brand Solmux, you know it really works for cough with phlegm. Choose to get relief now with Solmux Chewtab.

Carbocisteine is the generic name of Solmux. Available in all leading drugstores. As is the norm, always consult your doctor before taking any medication.

Save your receipts and have a lot of fun with the winning Panalo’tto promo from 7-11, as every 50-peso purchase entitles you to a lotto entry you can match or combine to win up to Php7 million in prizes! The lotto ticket also entitles customers to freebies or discounts indicated on the printout, so everyone walks away a winner.
The popular convenience store kicks off this exciting promo to make their customers Christmas merrier, and what’s more, they’ve pledged to donate a sum of money to ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. for every top prize winner. Winning combinations will be announced every Wednesday, which will be posted in all 7-Eleven stores and at www.7-eleven.com.ph
Match number combinations announced online or in stores to win. Three out of five numbers nets you Php5,000, while four out of five clinches a cool Php10,000. The lucky customer who manages five out of five will walk home richer by Php500,00 while ABS-CBN Foundation gets support for their charitable work.
Go for the win and have fun by collecting receipts and buying your favorite products at any 7-Eleven store this holiday season. You just may have a handful of lucky numbers.